He joined “all those who denounce the serious humanitarian abuses in Gaza” in his speech on the occasion of the Belgian national holiday, which was held this Monday, July 21, and said that the situation in the strip “is a shame for humanity.” He is not the first monarch to raise his voice over Palestine (the Spanish Felipe VI to end this “cycle of violence), but the first to do so firmly, condemning and qualifying a situation.”
“I fully support their request and join that of all those who denounce the serious humanitarian abuses in Gaza, where innocent people starve and fall under the bombs, suffocating in their enclave. The current situation has extended too much time. It is a shame for all humanity,” said the monarch in his traditional speech on the occasion of the national holiday.
He added: “We support the call of the United Nations Secretary General to immediately end this unbearable crisis.”
The sovereign revealed that he had met relatives of victims of this conflict. “A few weeks ago, I met two parents, one Palestinian and another Israeli. Both share an indescribable suffering: to have lost a child, victims of the same conflict. I was deeply moved by their testimony,” said the monarch in his speech, which traditionally directs the country on the eve of each national holiday.
The king asked to follow the example of those families who have chosen the path of reconciliation. “They have renounced any spirit of revenge and have chosen to bring a message of peace. A peace that would relieve their suffering. These parents remind us that, beyond the political dimension, human dignity is always at stake,” he said.
“For decades, international law has been the cornerstone in which states could trust. Today, it is openly questioned. However, when international law is violated, the entire world loses. It gives free rein to instability and violence,” the monarch warned in his speech.
“We sincerely hope that political leaders and other monarchs follow their brave example”
Oxfam Belgium
Words and meetings with groups that defend the Palestinian cause, which have summoned the greatest European manifestations of support to the Gazati, a gesture that has been very applauded in networks. “King Felipe de Belgium has described the suffering in Gaza as inhuman and has raised his voice in favor of Palestine, becoming the first monarch to do it openly.* Just two days ago, they invited us to the palace to talk about our vital humanitarian work and our #Alzatuvozporpalestina and #Lidaroja Political leaders and other monarchs follow their brave example, “he writes, for example, the local Oxfam branch.
King Felipe de Belgica attends the ceremony of the 194th National Day, held in the Cathedral of San Miguel and Santa Gúdula de Brussels, on July 21, 2025.
The role of Europe
In his speech this year, pronounced in his office of the Royal Palace, in the face of his grandmother’s portrait, Queen Astrid, who died 90 years ago, the sovereign also warned that “the world is experiencing a resurgence of conflicts that we believed belonging to a past era.”
In that context, the king appealed to the role of the European Union. “Europe continues to opt for cooperation and not for confrontation. The choice of opening and not exclusion. It is a notable choice, sometimes difficult, and that requires courage,” he said.
“Europe must further reaffirm its leadership. It must be consolidated as a bulwark and a reliable alternative to the brutal power of power we witness today. Keeping faithful to its values: democracy, justice and law,” the Belgian monarch urged.
The last part
On the field, the UN made clear on Monday that the Order of Israel will not comply with Evacuar Deir al Balah (center), an area that was attacked by the Israeli army yesterday, and despite the fact that two of its buildings were affected in the last hours. The spokesman for the General Secretariat, Stéphane Dujarric, said today at his daily press conference that “UN staff stays in Gaza”, and when approached on whether that meant disobeying the evacuation order, he replied briefly: “Yes.”
Dujarric said that two of his buildings in Deir Al Balah that served as accommodation of their staff “were impacted and suffered damage despite the fact that the parties had been informed of the location of these buildings.” “UN staff was, to put it soft, shudder,” said Dujarric, who said that among those affected there are international personnel from different countries and Palestinian personnel with relatives or dependents.
These UN buildings, like all civilians, “must be protected whatever evacuation orders,” Dujarric reiterated, who stressed that “our colleagues on the ground are more than delivered and show it every day when remaining in the line of fire and in host houses that are then attacked.”
In a previous statement, the UN Secretary General, had said feeling “horrified” for the degradation of the living conditions in Gaza “where the last lifeguards that keep people standing are collapsed.”
Guterres said that in addition to the growing number of children and adults suffering from malnutrition, it was especially condemnable “continuous violence, including shots, killings and damage to people who try to get food for their families.”
The Medical Non -Governmental Organization without Borders (MSF) has also denounced on Monday afternoon that 36 of its Palestinian employees working in a medical center have been affected by the Evacuation Order of Deir to Balá. “These orders affected our personnel residing in Deir to Balá. 36 Palestinian colleagues of our Mawasi Clinic had to abruptly leave a busy health center that was attending to an influx of patients from the distribution places of the Humanitarian Foundation of Gaza (GHF, for its acronym in English) to evacu He recalled that this Gazatí city “was considered the last remotely” of the Palestinian enclave and “now covers more than 87% as a prohibited military zone.”
The NGO has also lamented that this order of “mass displacement”, which has affected a population of between 50,000 and 80,000 people according to the United Nations, has damaged “one of the main vital lines for the distribution of water in southern Gaza.”
“Today (for this Monday) the water distribution trucks could not reach the plant, and these orders will endanger anyone who tries to distribute water from here in the near future. Water plants and distribution systems are an essential lifeguard for the population of Gaza and must be protected,” he defended.
